


Charcoal

by EducationalAdmiral



Series: Something New Everyday [4]
Category: Newsies (1992), Newsies - All Media Types, Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Drawing, Fluff, How Do I Tag, I never write fluff I tried my best, M/M, Mutual Pining, Not Beta Read, Period-Typical Homophobia, Pining, Snooping, Sprace is mentioned like once, Three Stupid Idiots Love Each Other So Damn Much : The Fanfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-02
Updated: 2017-08-02
Packaged: 2018-12-10 09:22:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,840
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11688702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EducationalAdmiral/pseuds/EducationalAdmiral
Summary: “I like your drawings.”“You do? Well, thank you,” Jack replied, smiling somewhat tensely, still holding Les who showed no signs of letting go of the hug yet.“Yeah, they’re really good.” Davey paused for a moment. “You draw Crutchie a lot.”“Yeah, I do. Got somethin’ to say ‘bout it?”///Or, when Davey snoops through Jack's drawings, he finds something... interesting.





	Charcoal

It was a cool evening in the middle of fall, and Davey and Les had been waiting for Jack at the lodging house for several hours. While Davey had suggested they just go ahead and head home more than once now, Les insisted on saying goodbye to Jack first. Davey wasn’t bothered in the beginning, but by now the sun was low, it was getting progressively more rainy, and businessmen had long since made their way home. His stomach growled for dinner, and even though the other boys offered him some bread or crackers for a snack, he couldn’t take it. He had a meal waiting at his house, and, if Jack would just show up already, he could leave to go get it.

“What’s taking him so long?” Davey grumbled, glancing at the door again. Just as he did so, Crutchie opened it and came in.

“Hey, where’ve you been?” Specs asked, ignoring Davey and looking over to Crutchie. “We’s startin’ to worry.”

“I was eatin’ with Spot over in Brooklyn. I told Jack. Figured he’d tell you.”

“We ain’t seen him all afternoon,” Specs replied, walking over to Crutchie and helping hold his crutch while he slipped off his muddy shoes. “You know where his is?”

“He’s workin’ on somethin’ for Medda. Another one ‘a those backdrops. He’s been talking about it for a few days- how did you not know?”

“At some point you learn to tune ‘im out.” Romeo said through a smirk. Crutchie rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, well, glad he ain’t off hurt somewhere, since you all seem to only worry ‘bout me.”

“I never said we weren’t worryin’ ‘bout Jack,” Spec said defensively. “I just mentioned you first.”

“Hmm, right. ‘Course. I can take care of myself pretty good, ya know.” Crutchie set his muddy shoes by the door and grabbed his crutch back from Specs.

“Yeah, course we do. Jack’d have our heads if somethin’ did happen and we weren’t out lookin’, though.” Romeo replied, shrugging his shoulders.

“That he would,” Crutchie said affectionately, a small smile on his features. He started to move further into the room towards his bunk but Davey stopped him.

“Where’d you say Jack was?”

“Davey? You’se here late. I mean, I ain’t complainin’ but you usually head back to your folks ‘fore now.”

“Yeah, Les insists on saying goodbye to Jack before we go. We’ve been waiting for ‘im.”

“You’d wait for Jack ‘nd not me?” Crutchie said, bending down and ruffling Les’ hair.

“I mean- It’s not like that! I just wanted to see Jack! I haven’t seen him all day- I’ve seen you!”

“Alright. I see how it is,” Crutchie feigned offense for a moment, then went back to smiling. “He’s over at Medda’s. You know where that is, right?” Davey nodded. “He should be in the backstage area. Hey, tell ‘im I said hi for me, alright? And that I made it back safe from Brooklyn.”

“Right, of course. Thanks, Crutchie!” Davey spoke as he walked over to the door and pulled on his shoes, Les doing the same beside him. Davey pushed through the doors, his stomach still grumbling quietly.

 

///

 

They arrived at Medda’s a few minutes later. Davey and Les went in through the backdoors and made their way to the backstage area. The room was sort of messy- there were jars of water and half empty tubes of paint scattered on the floor, colorful palettes and paintbrushes strung around aimlessly. Davey couldn’t imagine having to work in a space in a state of disarray quite like this, but he knew that Jack could perfectly. In fact- Jack always claimed that the chaos helped him. Davey knew he’d never understand how.

Jack wasn’t in the room. Davey could hear his voice a little ways off, probably just down the hall talking to Medda or the Bowery Beauties. Either way, it didn’t matter. Les was captivated by the canvas Jack had been painting. A beautiful, albeit unfinished, orange sunset hanging over a landscape of water and trees- so different from the dusty gray New York cityscape they saw everyday.

While Les stared at the canvas, Davey wandered over to a table sitting nearby. A drawing pad was resting on the top with a rough sketch opened, one that mirrored the painting on the canvas. He flipped through a couple pages, full mostly half colored landscapes, till he spotted two smaller drawing pads sitting on the table. He handed the landscape filled pad off to Les who was no longer satisfied with the canvas and took one of the smaller two into his hands.

He flipped open the front cover and was greeted with Jack’s name spelled out in bold letters, as well as the start date for the book. He flipped through a few more pages quietly. Each page was covered in charcoal and lead sketches of things- object and people, detailed hands and beautiful smiles. There was an entire page dedicated to Spec’s glasses and the way light shone of them. There were a few of Katherine’s hair, the specific parts of it that were curly and how they framed her face. There were a few pages detailed Race’s cigars and the smoke that sometimes crawled from his lips. And then, there were pages upon pages dedicated to Crutchie.

There was a page dedicated to his crutch, capturing it from different angles and sketching out the woods grain and texture carefully. There were multiple pages dedicated to his freckles, to his hair’s sandy color, to his clothing and his shoes, his twisted leg, his eyelashes- every single feature of his had been drawn what seemed like a dozen times over. Then, there were pages dedicated just to his smile. It was lopsided- it drifted way more to one side of his face than the other and it made the corners of his eyes crinkle up. Jack had capture everything about it- every small little detail. Davey felt something in his chest that he couldn't place. Love, maybe? Jealousy? _(Both?)_ He didn’t get much time to think about it before-

“Davey? Les? What’re you’se doin’ here?”

“Oh, hey Jack!” Les set down the drawing pad full of landscapes and ran over to Jack, wrapping his arms around Jack’s waist. Jack laughed softly and crouched down to give Les a proper hug.

“Hey, man, what’s up?”

“Nothin’! We’s just wanted to say bye to ya before we head back home.”

“He wanted to say goodbye to you,” Davey corrected jokingly, still looking through the drawings. “I didn’t care one way or another.”

Jack laughed, then there was a brief silence. Davey started talking again.

“I like your drawings.”

“You do? Well, thank you,” Jack replied, smiling somewhat tensely, still holding Les who showed no signs of letting go of the hug yet.

“Yeah, they’re really good.” Davey paused for a moment. “You draw Crutchie a lot.”

“Yeah, I do. Got somethin’ to say ‘bout it?” Jack said, straightening up and letting Les go.

“Can I look at some of your drawings?” Les asked, grabbing the second notebook before Jack had a chance to answer.

“I guess so,” Jack mumbled, walking over to Davey and reaching to take the drawing pad from Davey’s hands. It was still open to one of the pages that detailed Crutchie’s smile. Jack stared at it for a second before setting it down on the table again, still open.

“‘Course I draw him a lot. He’s one of my best friends.”

“Just a best friend?”

“What’re ya gettin’ at, Davey?”

“You love him, don’t you?” Davey asked. Jack visibly tensed.

“And if I do?”

“I won’t tell, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“It’s not.”

“Oh. If you do love him,” Davey paused for a moment, mulling over Jack’s question. “I won’t be mad, if that’s what you’re asking. Crutchie is a great guy.”

“And you wouldn’t be mad that.. You know, we’re both..?”

“Hm?” Davey had gotten distracted staring at Jack’s drawings again. “Oh, no. I’m not.. I don’t care if you’re both guys. That’s what you mean?”

Jack nodded hesitantly.

“I’m not here to police who you can love, Jack.” Davey shrugged his shoulders slightly.

“It seems ta matter more to upper class folks,” Jack replied.

“I’m not exactly upper class.”

“In comparison to me ‘nd the boys, yeah, you is. Still, though,” Jack sighed deeply, his shoulders dropping from their tensed position. “It’s good to hear you ain’t like the rest of ‘em. Specially cause, well, a lotta the boys is. I ain’t namin’ names, but.. I’m sure you’ve figured some ‘a it out already.”

Davey’s mind ghosted over watching, somewhat uncomfortably, the ways Race and Spot interacted. He nodded.

“You’se should probably get headed home, Davey. It’s gettin’ late.”

“The same could be said for you.”

“I’ll head over to the lodging house after I clean up here. Might take a little. Plus, I might haveta walk over to Brooklyn.”

“Why would you.. Oh! Yeah, Crutchie! He told me to say hi to you for him. He’s back already.”

“Oh, thank god,” Jack sighed, starting around the room and gathering the loose paintbrushes. “I hate goin’ to Brooklyn at night. Those Brooklyn boys, lord love ‘em..”

Davey laughed softly.

“Well, me and Les better be headin’ out.”

Davey started toward the door but Jack blocked him, his hands now free of paintbrushes. He pulled off his smock quickly and then held out his arms. Davey smiled and let Jack embrace him as he drank in his warmth.

Les set the drawing pad back on the table and looked at Jack over Davey’s shoulder.

Don’t tell him, please. Jack mouthed desperately.

Les gave him a thumbs up and a smile.

Davey pulled away from the hug, and bright look on his face. He grabbed Les’ hand and walked over to the back doors.

“See ya tomorrow, Jack.”

“Yeah, see ya.”

Davey and Les then disappeared out the door and out into the city.

 

///

 

Jack crumpled into a chair in the corner of the backstage room. He had finished cleaning up his mess. All his tube of paint were in their boxes and his brushes had been washed. He had that second drawing pad in his hands and he flipped through the pages miserably, silently thanking god that Davey hadn’t picked up this one.

After drawings of hats and vests, of Spot’s suspenders or Romeo’s eyes, there were pages of drawings of Davey. Davey’s brown eyes, his dark hair, his hooked nose, his clothing that was fancier than Jack’s own. Jack had drawn Davey so many times, just like he had Crutchie, that he had captured every part of him.

And Davey’s smile.. The way it lit up a room, changed Davey’s entire appearance. Jack had barely managed to capture it- it had taken him a thousand times, but he found away.

“God, Jackie,” Medda said from behind him suddenly. “You’ve got it bad, boy.”

“I know,” Jack mumbled, putting his head in his hands. _“God,_ do I know.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I'm still trying to figure out how to write the different Newsies characters, so constructive criticism on how I handled each character and the accents would be greatly appreciated, as well as other comments and kudos!
> 
> Find me on Tumblr at [ EducationalAdmiral! ](https://educationaladmiral.tumblr.com/)


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